{
  "id": 5207735,
  "title": "Andrew Griffith: Burnham ‘making up stories’ about my role in Truss Budget",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/andrew-griffith-burnham-making-up-stories-about-my-role-in-truss",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T00:14:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/andrew-griffith-burnham-making-up-stories-about-my-role-in-the-mini-budget/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Conservative shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith has vehemently denied accusations from Labour leader Andy Burnham that he fabricated details about his role in the Liz Truss mini-Budget. Speaking to City AM, Griffith asserted that Burnham was \"making up stories\" regarding his involvement, emphasizing that he was merely a junior minister responsible for financial services regulation and was not consulted on the budget until it was nearly finalized.\n\nGriffith pointed out that government bond yields had surged to their highest levels in decades following the mini-Budget, with the 10-year gilt yield reaching 5.25 per cent and 30-year yields hitting 5.89 per cent. He blamed this volatility on government uncertainty, stemming from uncommitted spending plans and the potential for tax hikes, which had undeniably dampened investor confidence. Griffith warned that this uncertainty is creating a \"multi-billion black hole\" in the UK's finances, a situation that surpasses the financial instability faced by other major economies such as France, Germany, and the US, and is significantly worse than Greece's predicament.\n\nIn response to Burnham's criticisms, which were made during Prime Minister’s Questions on Tuesday and Wednesday, Griffith emphasized that while mistakes were made, the focus should be on moving forward rather than dwelling on past missteps. He urged the government to refrain from further tax increases and to make meaningful strides in welfare reform, actions he believes are crucial to restoring confidence among businesses.",
  "summary": "Andrew Griffith has accused Andy Burnham of “making up stories” about his involvement in the disastrous Liz Truss mini-Budget as the new Conservative shadow Chancellor fends off a barrage of attack lines from the Prime Minister following his appointment by Kemi Badenoch on Monday. Addressing the House of Commons on Tuesday and again at Prime [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "Andrew Griffith's denial of Labour leader Andy Burnham's accusations shifts the focus back to the government's economic management and the need for clarity on spending plans and tax hikes.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}